Technological Field
The present invention relates to a composite apparatus that is provided with multiple apparatuses each being capable of operating independently, for example: an image forming apparatus such as a multi-function peripheral (MFP), i.e., a multifunctional digital machine; and an information processing apparatus such as a personal computers (PC).
Description of Related Art
It is common that, in addition to MFPs mainly for copying and printing, many information processing apparatuses for electronic data processing, such as servers, are also used in workplaces; it is also common that such an information processing apparatus and such an MFP are used together for composite processing.
To reduce the cost of the management and maintenance of apparatuses in an entire workplace, there is a suggestion to build one composite apparatus by consolidating multiple apparatuses each that are capable of operating independently, such as an image processing apparatus and an MFP, into one cabinet.
Since these apparatuses constituting one composite apparatus each are capable of operating independently, each of them can be, unsurprisingly, provided with its own console display means for a user to manipulate the apparatus, such as an operational panel that displays various types of display data such as operation screens.
One composite apparatus with multiple console display means, however, will never be useful for users. Furthermore, the multiple console display means, which are open to the outside of the composite apparatus, will occupy a large area of the surface of the composite apparatus, compromising the advantages of one composite apparatus that is constituted by multiple apparatuses.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014-241494 discloses an information processing system that is capable of reducing the total man-hour count to develop an application that uses a function of an apparatus. An MFP has a genuine application and a third-party application both being installed thereon; the genuine application stores error screens each connected to a possible error and the third-party application stores no error screens. The MFP is provided with a display, an error sensor, a drawer, and a processor. The display displays a screen of an application that is currently active; the error sensor detects when an error occurs on the MFP. The drawer draws an error screen notifying of the detected error when the error occurs, the error screen being stored in the genuine application. If the error occurs while the third-party application is active, the processor switches the display data from that of the third-party application to that of the genuine application to show the error screen on the display.
However, according to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014-241494, this is a technique for causing one MFP to execute processing, not a technique relating to one composite apparatus that is constituted by multiple apparatuses each that are capable of operating independently.
So, the technique described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014-241494 is still unable to resolve the following: one composite apparatus with multiple console displays will never be useful for users; and the multiple console displays will occupy a large area of the surface of the composite apparatus.